Notes and Editorial Reviews

"Carlos Kleiber's famous version is a performance of real stature and much strength, with the attention to detail one would expect from this great conductor. A gripping and compelling performance . . . . DG have successfully remastered the 1981 sound, which now has more than sufficient weight in the bass and more bloom than before. . . . This carries the strongest recommendation at mid-price." -- Penguin Guide"Carlos Kleiber's famous version is a performance of real stature and much strength, with the attention to detail one would expect from this great conductor. A gripping and compelling performance . . . . DG have successfully remastered the 1981 sound, which now has more than sufficient weight in the bass and more bloom than before. . . . This carries the strongest recommendation at mid-price." -- Penguin Guide Read less

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 4 Customer Reviews )

A Unique Brahms Fourth June 22, 2015By owen ryan (lakewood, CA)See All My Reviews"Carlos Kleiber occupies his own niche in the world of great conductors. His interpretations of symphonic works are unlike any others. It's as if he takes a work apart, examining and burnishing each segment before putting them back together in a fresh and unique version. It's easy to see why he has obtained almost a cult-like status among many music lovers. It is said that he would labor over a piece almost to the point of exhaustion trying to get to the heart of it. Indeed, ''a gripping and compelling performance.'' Richard Osborne, author and writer for Gramophon, notes that there has been some notable prior recordings of the Fourth ''but Kleiber's performance was, and remains, a thing apart, gloriously articulate orchestral playing married to an interpretation, at once fierce, noble and austere, that thrillingly enacts the power of Brahm's tragic discourse.'' I'll be so foolish as to suggest that this mesmerizing performance of the Fourth may be the finest one to be found on a disc. Now if only the audio was as outstanding as the performance....."Report Abuse

Stunning interpretation of the Brahms 4thAugust 16, 2013By Stephen R. (Randolph, NJ)See All My Reviews"Brahms is my favorite composer and the 4th my favorite work. I have heard the 4th recorded &amp; live hundreds of times. It's a great work but gets muddled with hearing it too many times. However, Maestro Kleiber does great justice to it. In the first movement, he freshens the sound by separating the horns from the ensemble a little - almost in concerto fashion - brightening them and giving the ensemble audible structure while - somehow - deepening this voluptuous, rapturous movement. The third movement is as free and rollicking as any rendition but because of the great rendering of the first movement, builds more anticipation of its climax and the start of the fourth movement. The fourth is the thunderbolt of this symphony. In my mind, the three movements are really a setting for the fourth, and the fourth movement is really the apotheosis of the Tragic Overture. It takes what the Overture presented and transforms the tragic theme into deep shadows of pain and joy through the slow passacaglia. Brahms could have, should have called it "The Tragic Symphony". The final bars left me stunned, tearful, and serene. Bravo ... bravissimo! ... Maestro Kleiber."Report Abuse

A Stunning RenditionNovember 17, 2012By J. Spaulding (Villa Hills, KY)See All My Reviews"Brahm's 4th played as good as you're likely to find. Kleiber leads the Vienna Phil in a wonderful rendition of the last symphony. The sound is clear and the nuances of the score are fully explored. All in all one of the best recordings of Brahms 4th you are likely to find. Buy this one!"Report Abuse